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Breeding
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Agamura persica reaches breeding size at 18 to 24 months. At sexual maturity Agamura persica develops fatty patches at the arm pits. They are a good indication that the gecko is ready to breed. Keep in mind that sexually mature females may still be too small for proper egg laying.
The following programme is meant as a guide. You may successfully produce hatchlings any month of the year without ever cooling your geckos. The following just improves your chance of success.
Male and female Agamura persica should be housed separately until breeding is desired. Although the geckos will breed any time in the year, a good strategy is to begin the programme in the late winter or early spring so the geckos can acclimate to the weather.
As winter approaches, slowly lower the temperature of the enclosure and decrease the photoperiod over the course of several weeks. Cool the animals to a day-time temperature in the range of 78°C to 84°F (26°C to 29°C) at the hot end of the enclosure. This should leave the cool side at the mid to low 60s (16°C to 19°C). Keep this temperature for five weeks or longer.
During this cooling, gradually reduce the amount of protein in the diet. When the enclosure reaches the desired winter-temperature the geckos will be very lethargic. Calcium/vitamin dusted mealworms make a good food choice because of their slow movement. It is not uncommon for the geckos to fast for a couple of weeks at a time, but do remember to attempt feeding on a regular schedule.
Always provide water for the geckos, even when they are lethargic. Dehydration occurs very rapidly since the geckos are taking in very little moisture; moisture they would normally get from prey items. Mist the geckos during the hottest part of the day to minimise the amount of heat lost.
When the cooling period is coming to an end, start to increase the photoperiod and the heat in the enclosure over several weeks. Slowly begin to increase the number of feedings. Also begin to add more protein to the diet. But as the temperature increases during warming, you may switch to calcium/vitamin dusted crickets. It is also good to use some wax worms to let the geckos gain energy and develop much needed fat. Do not forget the calcium. Calcium is especially important for female geckos. They use more of their body’s calcium in egg production than it might appear!
Introduce the male gecko to the female’s enclosure. The female should be comfortable in her environment to reduce the amount of stress occurring during breeding. If the female is uncomfortable, she may take longer to breed or may be unable to find a suitable laying site; she may lose her first or second clutch.
Continue to feed the geckos a diet heavy in protein and calcium, especially the female. It takes about 30 days for the female to produce the first clutch after insemination but the female will continue to produce eggs every 20 days or so for five to six clutches. Copulation and egg-laying are very stressful for any female gecko so you may remove the male after copulation to let the female relax. She will probably have another clutch or two in his absence. If the male is kept with multiple females, you may leave the male with the females all summer. He will have his choice of females so the stress is distributed among multiple mothers.
When the fifth clutch is laid, remove the male from the enclosure. The female should still have her sixth clutch. Maintain the breeding environment in the enclosure until the winter cool down. Then, gradually reduce the temperature and feedings to begin the cooling period once again for both the male and the female.
As long as the female is not disturbed and her enclosure is kept relatively undisturbed, the female will choose the same laying spot every time. The gravid female begins to dig several pits in the sand of the enclosure before she chooses one to lay in. There are two thoughts regarding why she digs several holes. One is that she digs “false” sites to confuse predators. The other, and more realistic, is that she digs holes until she finds one that feels “right”. Regardless, there will be several pits around the enclosure. Keep an eye on these pits. Within a week after she begins digging, one morning, one of these pits will be filled and covered by a mound of sand. The eggs are buried here. The eggs are approximately 2 cm long
The most difficult part of the process is handling the eggs. Spider gecko eggs are very fragile; the shells are parchment paper thin.
If the eggs are collected before they have had time to harden they will be extremely fragile. If you know the female has laid her eggs, wait about an hour before uncovering them. This will ensure the eggs have hardened. They are impossible to collect if they are not hard. Also, if the eggs are attached, DO NOT separate them. This often happens when one of the eggs is infertile. The attached infertile egg will have no effect on the development of the viable egg.
Carefully brush the sand from the top of the egg and daub the top with a felt-tipped pen or marker to mark the “up” position. Some people use pencil to scratch a mark but the shells are much too thin to take such a risk. I prefer to use a tiny dot of non-toxic children’s paint applied with a brush. A small paint brush is much less likely to damage the egg. Carefully uncover all the sand around the eggs. You can use a spoon if your hands are shaky to lift the eggs from the enclosure.
You will find that only the tips of the eggs are sticky and these will be covered by sand. DO NOT attempt to remove this sand. Your eggs will be in pieces if you do.
Move the eggs to a small, preferably clear, deli cup with about ½” of soft sand. A clear cup is preferable to an opaque one since this will allow you to monitor the eggs without touching them. Place the eggs in the proper orientation into the cup. You do not need to bury the eggs again.
Spider gecko eggs can be incubated at temperatures between 82°F and 84°F. The eggs will tolerate temperatures as high as 88°F but the geckos hatch much too early and take a long time to start feeding. When I have incubated at temperatures at 86°F or greater, the hatchlings required stimulation to start feeding and sometimes it took as long as 8 weeks to start feeding on their own. Geckos incubated at the low end were alert and fed shortly after the first shed.
Incubate the eggs at regular, dry room humidity (45 to 60% RH). If you find the air is too dry (<30% RH) you can place a small container of water into the incubator if you wish but do not apply the water directly to the substrate. Do not incubate eggs on moist substrate. I have read about too many fertile eggs that fail to hatch after perfect development for the first 50 days or so because of moist incubation. The hatchlings will hatch close to 70 days after being laid which is a very good approximation at the 82°F to 84°F range.
Anywhere from one day to 2 weeks after incubation starts you will see blood vessels developing in the egg if you candle it. The little embryo will attach to the top of the egg and will be evident as a red “blob”. If you look carefully, you may also see the little heart beating. It is nothing more than a tube at this point but it pumps. Just remember that every time you handle the egg you risk crushing it. Keep your hands off.
If you use a clear deli cup it is easy to view the eggs by holding the cup up to a light bulb. If you choose not to candle the eggs (thereby removing the risk of breaking them), a fertile egg will appear pink after about 2 weeks when viewed from overhead.
When your new hatchlings arrive, let them stay in the incubator for a couple of hours to get accustomed to life outside the egg.
Some people find the first few weeks the toughest for keeping the hatchlings alive. If you remember to keep them hydrated and warm, there shouldn’t be any problem. House the hatchlings on paper towels and keep the baby geckos separate from the parents for the first 4 to 8 weeks.